AryMay

This is what we plan to do in February. Previously we have done B2B on the same ship, but never a side x side so I am slightly anxious about the process. Hoping we just have a "short walk" as you mentioned (although I have visions of hoofing it a long distance to the opposite side of the port.)

But if you read the last paragraph it states a booster is required to be fully vaccinated.

To me some of the definitions sound like they contradict each other. In one place FULLY VACCINATED does not require a booster and in another section FULLY VACCINATED requires at least one booster. Am I reading this wrong? (Updated) What is considered Fully Vaccinated? Fully vaccinated means that a guest received all the doses in an authorized or approved primary COVID-19 vaccine series at least 14 days prior to embarkation. Up to date means that a guest is fully vaccinated, and received at least 1 booster dose, if eligible before embarkation. Guests are considered “up to date” from the date of receiving their booster dose. ENHANCED PROTOCOLS VACCINATION: All guests 18 years of age and older must be fully vaccinated. A booster dose is required for guests 18 years of age and older whose final dose of an approved/authorized COVID-19 vaccine is older than 5 months to be considered “fully vaccinated.” Only one booster dose is needed to be considered fully vaccinated.

I started a different thread after trying to find the protocols for full transit Panama Canal cruises. I think these cruises should be part of the enhanced protocols (as they are calling them) but other than a slight mention in a press release from August 15th I can't find anything on the website. I thought this oversight would be corrected on this newest update but I don't see it if it is.

My concern is that there is nothing in writing on HAL's website that spells out the rules for Panama Canal cruises. If I hadn't read that press release I would have no idea that our cruise falls under the "Enhanced Protocols". (And the HAL representative that I talked to could not find any mention of it either.) The cruises listed in that pdf file only go out as far as January 3rd and our cruise is January 21. This is the FAQ (which was updated yesterday) which one could easily assume applies to the Panama Canal cruises: U.S. Sailings (Does Not Apply to Alaska, Canada) Vaccines:  It is highly recommended that all guests be up to date on their vaccination status. Vaccinations are not required. Testing: No pre-cruise testing is required for vaccinated guests. Unvaccinated guests 5 years and older must provide results of a negative, medically supervised or self-test taken within three days of embarkation. I just checked the protocols on Princess' website and rules for Panama Canal cruises are specifically spelled out.

Can anyone find the current rules for vaccinations and testing for full transit Panama Canal cruises on the HAL website? The following is part of an August 15th press release, but I can not find this information anywhere else on the website. (Bolding is mine.) If this is the case, surely it must be included somewhere else besides a press release. Protocols for cruises 16 nights or longer (plus full Panama Canal transit, trans-ocean and designated remote voyages, ages 5 and older): All guests will be required to submit a medically supervised COVID-19 test with written negative result. The test must be taken within three days of embarkation. Guests must be vaccinated or request an exemption. Also the pdf file "Enhanced Health Protocols" states that for enhanced voyages (which I think applies to Panama Canal cruises) a booster dose is required. I was on the phone with a HAL representative for about 45 minutes yesterday and she could not find the rules. I am booked on the January 21 Zaandam cruise. Some friends of ours may also book the cruise depending on what the Covid requirements are. (And I do realize that all rules can change by next January.)

I laughed when I read that "Adult Coloring" (at 11 am) is still being offered as a cruise activity. This was listed for our Eurodam Alaska cruise in May. On that ship the activity was held in the Digital Workshop so I just assumed it would be some sort of digital art class. I had attended something similar when HAL had their partnership with Microsoft and enjoyed the class. I decided to give it a try. First surprise was that the "Digital Workshop" was just a room with tables and chairs...no computers or anything that could remotely be considered digital. Next surprise was the staff overseeing the activity did nothing more than point to a stack of color book pages and a bucket of colored pencils when I arrived. And that was it! I stuck around and finished my "art work" (and could at least enjoy listening to the classical group playing next door at the Lincoln Center Stage) but decided there are much better ways to spend time on a cruise ship!!! My finished art work. (Could have used a few more shades of green for the trees!) 🙂

I don’t think so. If you look at the photo I posted above, the adjoining cabins are marked with a + between them.

The balcony divider is also missing between these Deck 7 and 8 port side cabins on the deck plans of sister ships Koningsdam and Rotterdam. I’m assuming if the balcony really was odd it would have been noted on Cruise Critic long ago…but I’m still curious. Perhaps I should bring a bed sheet to hang up between the two balconies just in case? 🤔😁

I have just booked cabin #8146 on an upcoming cruise on the Nieuw Statendam. On the deck plans, the balcony divider is not shown between that cabin and the adjacent cabin 8148. My PCC assured me that it is just a misprint, but I notice the same thing on other websites and also the Navigator app. (He has been wrong before. 😠) The divider is also missing on the deck plans between the corresponding cabins on deck 7. (7144 and7146) Has anyone been in any of these cabins who can put my mind at ease? I have this fear of showing up and realizing that we are sharing a balcony with our neighbors!

Timing was good! The price of my cruise didn’t go up and I got the lower deposit!

This is a long shot after 3 years, but hoping the original poster will see this. @52Daffodils We are booked in cabin 8146 on the Nieuw Statendam and am also curious about the "no line" between balconies on the deck plans. I've checked the HAL website plus another site that shows deck plans and both show no separation between the balcony on 8146 and 8148. Just curious what the situation is. Has anyone else ever stayed in these two cabins...or 7146 and 7148 which also have no balcony separation shown on the deck plan?

Any idea if HAL will be coming out with a Labor Day Sale or special offers?

Just playing around on the HAL website and wondering if one plans two cruises back to back but on separate ships, how difficult is it to get from one ship to the other at Port Everglades? Is this situation referred to as a "side to side" rather than B2B? We have sailed out of Port Everglades many times, but I have never paid attention to where ships are located in reference to each other. Are HAL ships usually docked close enough to each other that someone (plus luggage) could walk between the ships? I can't image that a taxi or Uber would be willing to transport you such a short distance.

We were on the Eurodam for the first cruise to Alaska this summer (April). The weather was less than perfect and crew were handing out umbrellas to passengers as we got off at each port (didn't matter what cabin category you were in.) When we returned the wet umbrellas were collected and placed in a large container. That seems to make more sense than everyone dealing with wet umbrellas in their cabins.

I am the person that posted the review on halfacts for the cabin with the walk-in shower (#3339). For some reason the link above does not lead to the correct page. Hopefully this is the correct link: https://halfacts.com/r-class/3339-zaandam/ Prior to our cruise in cabin #3339 in 2018 I received the following notice: IMPORTANT NOTIFICATION: This is to advise guests who've booked Ocean-view staterooms on board Zaandam that during the April 2018 dry dock, the bathrooms in the below staterooms will be updated to a shower-only configuration: Lower Promenade Deck: D3331 - D3370 Main Deck: C2564 - C2647 Please note, this change does not affect all Ocean-view staterooms, only the specific staterooms noted above. We thank you for your attention to this matter and look forward to welcoming you on board. If getting a shower (rather than a tub) is important, this should help you choose a cabin.

Another option for Puerto Madryn would be to go to El Pedral. We did this tour in 2019 and loved it! The small group tour included a meal...lamb roasted over an open fire. We were up close and personal with hundreds (maybe thousands!) of magellanic penguins and saw other wildlife too. I will note that the day we were there it was sweltering...so hot that the poor penguins were panting. Here is a link to the El Pedral website: https://www.reservaelpedral.com/en/dia-campo-eng/ And a link to my blog with more details and lots more photos from our day: El Pedral Penguin Tour If seeing penguins is high on your list, you should book tours in more than one port. You never know when a port might get skipped due to weather.

Same here. Hard to put it down. We spent 45 days on the Zaandam in the year prior to the shutdown and did both the South America and Panama Canal routes which makes it easy to visualize everything in detail. Our cabin on the SA cruise was right by the medical center. I shudder to think how scary that location would have been in March 2020 when passengers and crew were lining the hallway waiting to be seen for Covid symptoms. 🤒🤧

Here is a great YouTube channel to get a feel for what life in Longyearbyen is like: Cecilia Blomdahl Videos. Cecilia and her boyfriend live on Svalbard and her interesting videos show what daily life is like on the island.

We did the rapid NAAT test at Walgreens for our April 30th Alaska cruise. Our results were available in 45 minutes. We had no problems uploading the test results to the Verifly app.

The first time we visited Vancouver (in 2014) our hotel provided free bikes for use. Touring by bike was a wonderful way to see the city and especially Stanley Park. Here is the blog post I did from our morning bike ride around the park: Biking in Stanley Park

I am in the process of doing daily blog posts from our April 30th cruise on the Eurodam that might cover some of your questions. I will note that for us this was a very laid back cruise just to test the waters after not cruising for 2 1/2 years so we didn't do much in the way of ship activities or shore excursions. Here is the link to my blog: My Souvenir Memories Blog

We were on the Eurodam a week ago. Our table for 2 was practically touching the one next to it. It took a long time to get served which made me uncomfortable having so many people in close proximity for so long. After that one night we ate our meals in the buffet where we could actually sit further apart and eat much quicker. The one night we ate at Tamarind we had a table off by ourselves in the corner.

We were assigned Port Valet Group C on Saturday (the last one) and had to leave the ship at 8 am. Our flight wasn’t until afternoon so we would have preferred to wait until later to disembark. But all turned out well. We were able to go standby on an earlier flight and got home 2 hours earlier AND got a free upgrade to Comfort+. Unfortunately, even though we were promised our luggage would be put on the same plane, it was on the later flight. ☹️